The Rant

Aura of Annoyance

mle292 and I went back to the gym last night, after far too long away. It felt really good to work out again. We will be going back on Saturday or Sunday to hopefully start a new habit of getting to the gym. We go to Snap Fitness, which has small, limited facilities with very little amenities, but that also makes it fairly inexpensive. Also, they have very good "family" rates, as opposed to when I looked at Life-Time, which required not only the same address, but also a joint bank account to prove "family."

I think my biceps lost the most muscle in my time away from the gym (I used to do that set with 25, 20, 20). Also, there is a huge difference between some of the free-weight type equipment and the machines. Machines have the benefit of not requiring a spotter, but I think that free-weights do a better job. On an incline leg press I have done 2x8, 720 (3x12, 630). Bench (chest press) I have done 2x6, 225 (3x12, 185). Sadly, snap does not have a leg press (hence the leg extension) and chest press (even with the smith rack) should have a spotter, especially when suspending 225# above your chest.

The one I go to is at 5107 Minnetonka Blvd which is next to St Louis Park City Hall. And there is a coffee shop in the same building. It is a franchised club and we signed up when they first opened, so we did not pay a start-up fee, and I think we have a lower rate than on the website (or at least it started lower).

I have never likes Bally's. I had a membership for a summer or two around college, but it was so much of a meat market that it was annoying even then (I had the benefit of having Weight Lifting as a class the first hour my entire HS Sr year). A couple of years ago I was on a project and the hotel had free passes to a nearby Bally's. It was even worse than I remember it. I do not personally know many women who would actually work out in spandex hotpants and a sports bra, but I saw that at Bally's (perhaps working out is being generous, more like stepping at an slow pace on a stair climber - would not want to mess up the hair or makeup). Back when I went to Northwest Athletic Club (before it was consumed by LifeTime) and at Snap, real people work out and real people really sweat. Snap Fitness has a small space, so the machines are fairly tightly packed in, but with the poor way Bally's used there space, the area at snap feels more open.